How shoplifters turned shoplifting into a dangerous hobby
Russian social media users are vigorously discussing the phenomenon of shoplifting, a hobby in the form of shoplifting. The shoplifters themselves are proud of the fact that they steal from “shops and corporations.” However, experts note that the essence of this phenomenon comes down to ordinary thefts, which are inevitably followed by administrative and criminal liability.
Disagreements on the Internet
The controversy surrounding shoplifting among Russian users of social networks began after a post by a girl who, in several messages, described how she took dumplings with suluguni in a store, and then “punched them like cheap dumplings,” and also “shoplifted cheese.” After this, some users accused the girl of being involved in banal theft, while others began to try to prove that stealing from capitalists and corporations is supposedly quite ethical.
Opponents of shoplifting have brought up a new argument: stores can collect losses from their own employees who overlooked the thieves, and this is not at all like the fight against capitalism. Their opponents responded by pointing out that the markups on goods immediately include damage from possible thefts, and that companies simply exploit workers with their fines.
As a result, the arguments of opponents of shoplifting outweighed, and a wave of criticism fell on the girl who spoke about her illegal actions. In the end, she promised that she “wouldn’t do that again,” but her story became another reminder of the problem of shoplifting in Russia.
As Ekaterina Antonova, managing partner of the Antonova and Partners bar association, says in an interview with Izvestia, the very concept of “shoplifting” is a professional jargon that came from the English language. At its core, it means the theft of any product or goods from retail stores, committed in a secret and unarmed manner.
Anatomy of theft
According to Trader Income representative Dmitry Mazanov, the shoplifting phenomenon is not unique to Russia - it is present in many countries around the world. The reasons for its occurrence can be different: economic difficulties, low income, reluctance to buy goods at a high price, the desire to get a free thing. In turn, Ekaterina Antonova divides shoplifters into amateurs and professionals.
“Amateurs include children, teenagers, kleptomaniacs and people without a fixed place of residence,” says the expert. — They engage in shoplifting from time to time, with some regularity for personal consumption and in small volumes. For hobbyists, shoplifting is something of an adventure and a test of luck. For some, it can even become something of a hobby or a “bad habit.”
In turn, professional shoplifters, according to Antonova, specialize in stealing goods and products in large quantities, as well as expensive or valuable items for their further resale. Professionals perceive shoplifting not as entertainment or a hobby, but as a full-fledged form of income.
Dmitry Mazanov explains that shoplifting causes significant damage to retail chains. This can be either direct loss of goods or additional costs for protection against theft, staff training, installation of video surveillance systems and much more. Damage from the actions of shoplifters is partly compensated through pricing - part of the cost of compensating for losses from theft is included in the price of the goods.
“First of all, large retail stores suffer from shoplifting, for which this is a kind of production cost,” notes Ekaterina Antonova. — Many retail chains carry out scheduled audits and inventories of goods, after which shortages may be discovered. Unfortunately, this difference falls on the shoulders of ordinary store employees, who compensate for the losses incurred from their own pockets.
Risks of shoplifting
As Vladislav Shurkhovetsky, a lawyer at the Moscow Bar Association of Borodin and Partners, explains in an interview with Izvestia, retail attracts shoplifters with open access to goods and creates ideal conditions for this type of theft, which flourishes as the self-service system in stores develops. At the same time, shoplifters are often convinced that they are not committing an illegal act, since they are causing damage to a faceless, unidentifiable person - but this is far from the case.
Today, Russian retail chains are actively fighting shoplifters. In particular, according to Vladislav Shurkhovetsky, in recent years the STOP-Shoplifter system developed by BIT has shown its effectiveness; it is used in retail chains in more than 70 Russian cities. In 2022, it registered about 263 thousand thefts with damage totaling more than 350 million rubles. This system works based on facial recognition technology and systematization of the information received.
“You can also combat shoplifting quite effectively by installing video cameras in the retail premises of the store,” concludes Ekaterina Antonova. “But this approach does not guarantee 100% protection against theft, since it is not always possible to cover all areas with video camera lenses. For example, these devices cannot be installed in fitting rooms. Therefore, the best method of combating shoplifting is not to popularize it and condemn it in every possible way in the eyes of the public.
Source: Izvestia
Disagreements on the Internet
The controversy surrounding shoplifting among Russian users of social networks began after a post by a girl who, in several messages, described how she took dumplings with suluguni in a store, and then “punched them like cheap dumplings,” and also “shoplifted cheese.” After this, some users accused the girl of being involved in banal theft, while others began to try to prove that stealing from capitalists and corporations is supposedly quite ethical.
Opponents of shoplifting have brought up a new argument: stores can collect losses from their own employees who overlooked the thieves, and this is not at all like the fight against capitalism. Their opponents responded by pointing out that the markups on goods immediately include damage from possible thefts, and that companies simply exploit workers with their fines.
As a result, the arguments of opponents of shoplifting outweighed, and a wave of criticism fell on the girl who spoke about her illegal actions. In the end, she promised that she “wouldn’t do that again,” but her story became another reminder of the problem of shoplifting in Russia.
As Ekaterina Antonova, managing partner of the Antonova and Partners bar association, says in an interview with Izvestia, the very concept of “shoplifting” is a professional jargon that came from the English language. At its core, it means the theft of any product or goods from retail stores, committed in a secret and unarmed manner.
Anatomy of theft
According to Trader Income representative Dmitry Mazanov, the shoplifting phenomenon is not unique to Russia - it is present in many countries around the world. The reasons for its occurrence can be different: economic difficulties, low income, reluctance to buy goods at a high price, the desire to get a free thing. In turn, Ekaterina Antonova divides shoplifters into amateurs and professionals.
“Amateurs include children, teenagers, kleptomaniacs and people without a fixed place of residence,” says the expert. — They engage in shoplifting from time to time, with some regularity for personal consumption and in small volumes. For hobbyists, shoplifting is something of an adventure and a test of luck. For some, it can even become something of a hobby or a “bad habit.”
In turn, professional shoplifters, according to Antonova, specialize in stealing goods and products in large quantities, as well as expensive or valuable items for their further resale. Professionals perceive shoplifting not as entertainment or a hobby, but as a full-fledged form of income.
Dmitry Mazanov explains that shoplifting causes significant damage to retail chains. This can be either direct loss of goods or additional costs for protection against theft, staff training, installation of video surveillance systems and much more. Damage from the actions of shoplifters is partly compensated through pricing - part of the cost of compensating for losses from theft is included in the price of the goods.
“First of all, large retail stores suffer from shoplifting, for which this is a kind of production cost,” notes Ekaterina Antonova. — Many retail chains carry out scheduled audits and inventories of goods, after which shortages may be discovered. Unfortunately, this difference falls on the shoulders of ordinary store employees, who compensate for the losses incurred from their own pockets.
Risks of shoplifting
As Vladislav Shurkhovetsky, a lawyer at the Moscow Bar Association of Borodin and Partners, explains in an interview with Izvestia, retail attracts shoplifters with open access to goods and creates ideal conditions for this type of theft, which flourishes as the self-service system in stores develops. At the same time, shoplifters are often convinced that they are not committing an illegal act, since they are causing damage to a faceless, unidentifiable person - but this is far from the case.
Today, Russian retail chains are actively fighting shoplifters. In particular, according to Vladislav Shurkhovetsky, in recent years the STOP-Shoplifter system developed by BIT has shown its effectiveness; it is used in retail chains in more than 70 Russian cities. In 2022, it registered about 263 thousand thefts with damage totaling more than 350 million rubles. This system works based on facial recognition technology and systematization of the information received.
“You can also combat shoplifting quite effectively by installing video cameras in the retail premises of the store,” concludes Ekaterina Antonova. “But this approach does not guarantee 100% protection against theft, since it is not always possible to cover all areas with video camera lenses. For example, these devices cannot be installed in fitting rooms. Therefore, the best method of combating shoplifting is not to popularize it and condemn it in every possible way in the eyes of the public.
Source: Izvestia